


inkblot

by mido



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Unreliable Narrator, drdp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mido/pseuds/mido
Summary: and, at the end of everything, life goes on.you didn't really think you could stay sixteen forever, did you?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	inkblot

**Author's Note:**

> unsure of what i was going for here

there's a stray cat that lingers around back during akira's shifts. it doesn't have a name (sojiro had warned that the second akira names it he'll get attached, and the attic isn't catproof), and no collar hangs around its scruff, but it seems to relish in the tiny saucers of sweet curry that akira has taken to feeding it. he'd originally thought to give it milk, but--  _ adult cats are lactose intolerant, aren't they?-- so am i, but you don't see me complaining.  _

so three day old curry that wasn't good enough to serve anymore it is.

_ do cats eat rice? _

university is no different than work; that is, all he really has to worry about is making it there on time. akira has never been one to take notes, opting instead to record his lectures with a crappy handheld he bought specifically for that purpose. his classmates are constantly hounding him for being an effortless genius, but in the safety of the attic at night a quiet moon sees the truth. akira has taken to falling asleep to his professor's ramblings of existentialism and idealism.  _ the cat is definitely a hedonist.-- like you aren't one too? _

_ fair enough. maybe you've been listening after all. _

out of all of akira's widespread friend group, only two of them kept to tokyo. makoto and sae had moved all the way up to hokkaido after makoto's gap year--  _ there is no way sae wasn't willing to pay her tuition. niijima is just too prideful.--  _ to allow the younger of the two admission to the university she'd chosen. akira doesn't know what she's majoring in, even though she's been there for a year and a half now. futaba, surprisingly enough, spread her wings enough to secure a small apartment here that she's splitting the costs of with yusuke--  _ kitagawa of all people! your friends are so multifaceted, aren't they?--  _ after he'd grown bold enough to showcase his artwork online, leading to commission after commission. akira isn't sure he can say he's surprised how receptive fox has been to the furry community.

_ you know, with how fond of cats and animals in general you are, i'm more surprised you haven't commissioned him yet.-- oh, sure, coming from the guy whose codename is a bird. _

ann and ryuji, both dreamers since birth, both ended up in america, though on opposite sides. ryuji works as a personal trainer for models in the sunshine state of california from the gym he's partnered with in san diego--  _ wasn't it sacramento?-- _ and ann, though originally having moved to new york for higher end modeling gigs, had since dropped the act of sitting still and looking pretty to pursue photography. "it's funny." akira remembers her saying, four months after she landed in NYC on one of their scheduled video calls. "i mean, how would i know i'd be so much happier behind a camera rather than in front of it?"

_ how indeed.-- you be quiet. _

haru, business extraordinaire, had jumped headfirst into obtaining a business administration degree at a prestigious school in kyoto that akira can't be bothered to remember the name of, and he'd heard through the grapevine that she would be opening her café come next year in fall. the whole gang had promised her a get together over coffee on the day before the grand opening, and akira had agreed too despite the pride welling up telling him that his own brew would be tens of times better than haru's first attempt.

_ and you wonder why people call you competitive. _

why, indeed.

and life goes on, just like that. akira attends his lectures with the punctuality of a juror; that is to say, he's the last one in and the first one out. his classmates continue to badger him for studying techniques--  _ you're popular anywhere you go, aren't you.-- _ and he continues to work in leblanc under sojiro's watchful eye. he's not as watchful anymore, now that he knows akira's not going to spontaneously burn the place down, and he even gifted him a keyring of his own to let himself in when he was out and so was sojiro. akira could use this trust to his advantage, of course, but akira is too damn nice to rob the place. 

also, he still lives there, so.  _ did that stop you before when you used leblanc as your personal hideout? _

_ shush,  _ he thinks back.  _ i could say the same to you. _

back in the metaverse, akira was fearless, somersaulting over adults akin to villains in a kid's cartoon as if he didn't even have a use for the gun in his hand. back in the metaverse, recognizing someone's intentions was as easy as telling red from blue, green from purple. joker from akira. crow from…  _ what was your name again? _

_ don't be such a child about it. we're adults now, you know. _

when akira was a child, he never got to watch many cartoons. his mother said they'd rot his brain, so she gave him a calligraphy set and told him to run along.

akira hasn't held an ink brush in years.

it's weird, how this all turned out. maruki isn't around any longer, ever since they kicked his ass to kingdom come with only their sanity to lose, but akira hadn't ever really considered this turn of events. he's aware he's not the most mentally stable, but still.  _ are you really implying you made me up? you're insufferable. _

_ yeah,  _ akira thinks back with a grin too toothy to be innocent,  _ i know. _

he usually takes his coffee black, but today akira splashes in a bit of milk and a spoonful of syrup. he drinks it on the opposite side of the counter for a change. barista-ing for one.

(and goro is gone)

the bell above the door does not jingle if no one ever walks in.

(and joker was a lie)

akira stares into the sweet liquid still steaming in his mug. it's tan in color.

(and that cat doesn't come around anymore)

sojiro gave him his own set of keys. he won't be by to lock up.

(and akira is alone)


End file.
